And The Wedding Date
by justlook3
Summary: Stone's in big trouble when he rsvps a plus one for his sister's wedding and Cassandra is the only one he can bring.
1. Chapter 1

Stone disconnected his phone and groaned leaning back against the back of his sofa. On the coffee table in front of him was an engraved piece of paper, an invitation to his sister's wedding. Which wouldn't have been a problem if he hadn't panicked in a brief moment of insanity just now on the phone with his sister Georgia, the oldest of his sisters who was planning their youngest sister Jessica's wedding.

"Now with Jess bein' married, you're the only single one of us, Jake. Even little Joey's bringin' a date. So I'm gonna have to put you at the singles table. Mrs. Baker's daughter Mary Sue will probably be happy to see you."

Memories of Mary Sue Baker blasted through Stone's head and he panicked. "But I'm not single! I have a girlfriend and I was plannin' on bringing her. I just with . . .uh work and uh all I didn't get to call."

He could hear Georgia's excitement. "Really now? Well, we're sure gonna be glad to see her. I'll put you down for a plus one and move you to Joey's table."

And now Stone was stuck. Why the hell had he done that? He didn't have a girlfriend. Aside from the ill fated kiss with Mabel and the flirting with Lamia (and obviously that was going nowhere ever), he'd not had any romantic action since he broke up with his last girlfriend back in Oklahoma two years ago. And he'd been far too busy to even meet anyone in Portland, yet alone date. So that left him with two possibilities: Baird or Cassandra.

Things with Cassandra were complicated. He'd been honest enough with the girl, he liked her. Liked her very much in fact, probably too much if he really thought about it. And although he actually had changed his tune when it came to trusting her, a situation like this . . .well it was way too much like leading the girl on. So she was the last resort.

Baird. Baird would do it if he explained the situation to her. She understood complicated family relationships and dodging well intended setups. He remembered a story she'd told him and Ezekiel one night after a few beers had loosened her tongue (Cassandra had left early that night) about the time she'd bribed someone into posing as her date at a family reunion to dodge a setup. She'd be perfect. Plus she was adaptable, cleaned up nice and he had no complicated feelings toward her at all. They were friends pure and simple, sometimes a bit like siblings.

* * *

But as they say, the best laid plans of mice and men. When Stone got to the Library the next day, he found Ezekiel setting the globe and Cassandra working at the table.

"Either of you seen Baird?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Ezekiel with a wink, as his door set up. "Flynn's back. Well, I'm off."

"Good luck with your mission!" Cassandra called after him.

"He really got a mission or is he off stealing something?"

Cassandra shrugged. "I don't ask any more. "

"So is Flynn really back?"

Cassandra smiled, "he is. And he whisked her off on a week's vacation! Isn't that romantic? Those two are so sweet, I swear." If Stone wasn't panicking, he'd have noticed the wistful edge to the young woman's voice.

Stone swore and Cassandra looked startled. "Damn it," he tossed the envelope down on the desk and put his head in his hands. "I totally blew this. I should have called her last night."

"Are you in trouble?" Cassandra asked. "I mean Baird was a little reluctant to leave us all without a Guardian but Flynn told her if it was an emergency we could call. But I think we should be alright for a week. I mean, you and I generally are, can't speak for Ezekiel."

"I'm in trouble, alright but not what you're thinking," Stone motioned toward the envelope on the table and she picked it up.

"Is Jessica your sister?" Cassandra asked reading the wedding invitation that was for two days time.

"Yes, she's my baby sister. Gettin' married. Should be a happy time."

"Then why are you so upset?"

Stone groaned. "I told my other sister that I was bringin' a date and I wanted Baird to pose as my girlfriend."

"Well, can't you call and say you're not then?" Cassandra was a little confused and quite a bit hurt that he'd ask Eve before her. But then again it wasn't like they had an uncomplicated relationship.

"Mary Sue Baker," Stone said before he could stop himself, shuddering. "She was gonna sit me at the singles table and seriously Cassandra, I'd bring zombie Lamia if that meant not being prey for Mary Sue Baker."

Cassandra laughed in spite of herself. "Lamia disappeared, we don't know if she's dead. But okay, so you're dodging this Mary Sue person. So um, did I ever tell you I liked weddings?"

"Cassie," he groaned.

"Look, I know you and I . . .I know you don't trust me. And that you're," Cassandra drew air quotes, "cool with that. But you do like me, right? So you'd probably at least have a good time with me, right?"

"It's not that I don't trust . . .damn it."

Cassandra's eyes widened. "Did you just say what I thought you said?"

"Alright okay, I trust you in a lot of ways. Not every way, not just yet. But . . ." Stone scratched the back of his neck, "I don't trust anyone really in every way. I trust you with my life and my safety. And I'm tryin', I really am. I do like ya, Cassandra. You know that."

She looked at him hopeful. "It's either me, Mary Sue Baker or taking Jenkins and telling people you've gone gay."

"Cassandra!"

"What?"

"Well, I think I would pick someone a little less well, Jenkins if I did go gay."

"Well Flynn and Ezekiel aren't here."

He rolled his eyes. But Mary Sue was scary and trashy. And Cassandra was sweet and pretty and good company. "Alright, are you busy right now?"

"No, why?"

"Let's go grab some coffee and work out a cover story to tell my family."

She grinned and clapped her hands.

* * *

They'd been tossing scenarios back and forth and Stone was sighing. "You just don't sound like you're from Texas."

"Neither does Baird," Cassandra pointed out.

"Yeah, but she's military and was an army brat. Lots of ex-military end up in Texas. Okay, so your family moved to Texas. Which would work if I told them I was in a big city . . . ." He looked down at his phone where he'd pulled up a map of Texas oil rigs. He'd never been really specific with his family about where he was living.

"Wait!" Cassandra remembered something, "now mind you all I know about oil in Texas I got from watching Dallas . . . ."

Stone looked up at her, a rather astonished look on his face. "You watched Dallas?"

"Hey, I happen to like tv that doesn't require thinking. And my was that reboot mindless. Anyway, the pretty girl they were fighting over, she was a scientist . . .a geologist I think, they weren't really clear. But anyway, oil rigs have scientists working there right?"

Stone nodded, inspiration hitting. "Not all the time, but okay, you were down at my oil rig doing, oh it doesn't matter, you make up some geological sounding term and they won't ask you more. And you were down at the local bar, lookin' completely out of place when I bought you a drink."

"Because you're a nice guy and I looked lost." Cassandra nodded. "Alright and I don't know, how do things like this go? We started talking, next thing we know it's late?"

He shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

She smirked at him. "Can I tell them I like you because you're smarter than you look?"

"Hey!"

"Well, they might question why a scientist would date someone they think is just a rig worker. Even though I bet a skilled laborer like you makes quite a bit of money."

He nodded. "More than I make at the Library, but the Library also seems to make sure any unexpected expenses are met. Anyway, okay fine, my family does know I'm kinda smart or at least my sisters do."

"Like normal person smart, not what you actually are."

Stone nodded. "Exactly, like I kinda couldn't help making honor roll every now and again. So that's what they think I am."

"Okay, I can deal with that. And tone my own down," at Stone's look she said. "You aren't the only one who had to hide."

He sighed. "Yeah, but your reasons were very different. I think trying to preserve your health and sanity are slightly better."

"I'm not so sure your mental health wasn't part of what you're protecting but I know that part of our friendship is me not prying. So I won't."

"Thank you. Okay, so next up, how serious are we?"

"Serious enough you're taking me to this wedding and Mary Sue Baker can't have my man." Cassandra grinned.

"Well, beyond that."

"Serious enough to be seeing each other exclusively but not talking marriage any time soon?"

"Okay, yeah, that's good. Because I don't need my aunts and sisters askin' about a wedding date."

"Is your mother . . . ."

"Mama died two summers ago."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I should probably tell you a bit about the family, since I assume I would have if we were datin'."

Stone then went on to explain that there were six Stone children. He had four sisters, two older: Georgia and Joyce and two younger: Jennifer and Jessica. He had one brother Joseph, though they always called him Joey. He was Jessica's twin.

"So how did Georgia escape your family's naming tradition?" Cassandra giggled.

"Her and Joyce were named after our grandmothers. But then I came along and they named me after my grandfather and then I think Mama just decided to have fun."

They talked a little more, Stone filling Cassandra in on little tidbits about his family. They fleshed out their hypothetical romance and felt like they probably could handle things. They'd just be themselves, well mostly.

"Oh!" Cassandra exclaimed as it looked like they were finished. "I totally forgot. What should I wear?"

"Oh, right." Stone rolled his eyes at himself. "The wedding's in the backyard at my sister Georgia's, then they're having a dance in her barn. We're pretty informal folk, I think only the groom will probably wear anything like a suit. I'm wearing jeans and a button down. So I don't know . . . outdoors in May in Oklahoma. It'll probably be a bit warm, so maybe a few less layers than you're wearing now would be fine. You like all them flowery dresses, so I'm sure you got something."

Cassandra smiled but felt like he hadn't been the least bit useful. She'd figure it out. She had two days.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Cassandra was humming happily to herself as she went through her closet. While she hadn't been allowed to watch movies as a child and into her teenage years, she'd spent the rest of her time getting caught up. And her favorite genre was romantic comedies. Especially the ones that involved fake relationships. She knew realistically that the ending of those movies wasn't going to come about her, not for her and Stone.

But she hoped that they would at least have a friendship at the end. A real one and not the working one they had right now. He seemed willing to try and he was grateful for her help in this situation. And it was going to be so fun. She'd learn about the Oklahoma side of their art historian and she'd be able to live out a movie fantasy with a handsome man. It was a win-win as far as she was concerned.

She did blush as she held up a dress in front of the mirror. There was one aspect of this fake relationship they hadn't discussed yesterday. Oh, they'd discussed hand holding and hands on the small of the back and pretending to squeeze knees under the table. And that while his family called him Jake, he preferred Jacob, so she was to call him that and remember not to call him Stone. And that he'd be willing to put up with any endearments except for sugar which reminded him far too much of that Mary Sue Baker.

But they were going to have to kiss. And that might not make Stone very happy. She sighed, well at least they were going to be in public, so chaste friendly kisses were totally appropriate even for a couple that was supposed to be in love. Still though, it had been quite a long time since she'd kissed anyone, friendly or not. She made a mental note to make sure to throw a package of breath mints in her purse. It was going to be awkward enough, she didn't want to worry about her breath.

 _Focus Cassandra._ She held up another dress and smiled. _Perfect_. She had a pair of low heels she could wear with it, wide enough to provide traction if the backyard was a little damp. And a cardigan in case it got chilly later. Maybe she'd even forgo tights. She giggled at the thought, it was quite daring for her style. Might even shock Stone just a little bit.

* * *

Stone was nervous as he waited for Cassandra the next afternoon by the back door. They were going through to the friend's house where his car had remained when Baird whisked him off to this new life. Ray was the type of guy who never asked questions and so, he'd just did what Jacob had asked him. Stone had asked him to keep it around back and to start it periodically to make sure it was still running. He'd called Ray to make sure it had gas and that he was coming around to get it today. Not sure what he was going to do with it now, either leave it back at Ray's or just ask one of his sisters to sell it. But that was the least of his worries today.

In the middle of the night, he'd woken up with the thought of the one thing he and Cassandra hadn't discussed.

They were going to have to kiss. There was no way they were going to sell a couple in love at a wedding of all places if they didn't at least kiss once. They wouldn't have to do anything passionate, it was public after all. Cassandra wasn't going to like this. Despite how helpful and into this whole thing she was being.

She was a good friend and he was going to make an effort to be an equally good friend back to her. They could never be more, that door had closed behind them long ago. But friends they could be and that was fine.

Even if he got a sinking feeling in his gut that maybe it wasn't so fine being just her friend.

Especially when she showed up, looking as pretty as a spring day. Her dress was very Cassandra, yet not at the same time. White but with a pink, blue and green floral print which made it appropriate for a wedding. Vintage but modern at the same time, it suited her and her figure perfectly. She'd curled her hair more than usual, pinning some of them up on top of her head making her big blue eyes more noticeable. The dress fell just past her knees and she had decided not to wear tights, which was something completely new to him. She wore low mint green heels and carried a matching cardigan.

"How do I look?" She asked.

"Beautiful," he whispered before he'd even realized he spoke. "Um," he cleared his throat. "You look fine. Real pretty."

"Thank you, you don't look so bad yourself." In fact, he looked really good and Cassandra felt her mouth go dry. He was wearing his black boots that she remembered from their trip to Rome, a pair of dark wash jeans that fit oh so very well, a pale green button down and a black leather Western style vest. She'd never seen that before, but hoped he wore it more often from now on. "We managed to match without even discussing it."

"Yeah, I noticed that." Stone shuffled his feet and then said. "There's something we still have to discuss."

She nodded. "Yeah, kissing."

He took a deep breath. "You realized that too, huh?"

"I watch a lot of movies. They're never, especially Mary Sue Baker, gonna buy that we're in a relationship if we don't at least kiss. It doesn't have to be anything other than a friendly sort of kiss. People will just think we're being discreet in public."

He scratched the back of his neck. "I'm really sorry about this, Cassie. If there was anything . . . .  
"

"It's too late to back out. It's your baby sister's wedding."

"I know. I just, do you think we should uh practice?"

"Yeah," she blushed. "We don't want it to look like we've never kissed before at the wedding."

"Right, should I um . . . ."

"Stone . . . ."

"Right."

He stepped forward, both of them not quite sure where to put their hands, or how close to stand. After some awkward shuffling, he settled on one hand on her waist and went with what came natural to him, putting the other hand on her cheek. They bumped noses twice and they had to back apart because she got the giggles from that and the attempt where their chins bumped.

When she finally calmed down, he tried again, one of her hands on his shoulder, his back on her cheek. He was just glad he'd used mouthwash this morning, it was going to be awkward enough without worrying about his breath. This time, they got the angle right and their lips touched. They'd agreed to keep the kiss fairly chaste, mouths closed, more than friendly but not passionate. Just sweet and slightly romantic, the kind a couple might exchange when there were people around.

Never mind that she had to fight to keep her hands from creeping into his hair and felt just a bit of a wobble in her knees. He was really good at this, even keeping it as sweet as they were. Even though the kiss lasted a bit longer than it probably should have and they both opened their mouths just a little by the end.

Never mind that the feeling in his gut that he wasn't okay with just being her friend turned into a tingle that spread up his spine and made him want to sink into the kiss, back her into the desk and forget the wedding entirely. _Bad idea, bad idea, Stone, break it off right now._

They parted and she backed up a step, finally opening her eyes that had fluttered shut.

"I think um that'll work," she said, trying to sound casual and hoping he didn't notice the hitch in her breathing.

He inhaled but decided that he was going to act like his lips weren't still tingling from the contact. "Yeah, and with any luck, we won't have to do that too much or anything."

"Right, sure. Well we probably should get going, huh? Don't want to be late."

"Yeah. Um, Cassandra?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks again for doin' this."

"Anything for a friend."

"Yeah."

* * *

Cassandra was happily chatting away, asking him the occasional question as they drove to his sister's place. Stone answered and tried to keep up his half of the conversation but in the inside he was quietly and steadily freaking out.

 _How did that kiss not affect her? She seems completely fine and I'm a mess._ He inwardly sighed. _I guess it's all the proof I need that she's not interested._

She'd mentioned when they had coffee that she was a fan of romantic comedies. She'd laughingly thanked him for giving her the chance to live out a fantasy as a heroine in a movie.

He was going to have to treat this the same way she was treating it. Like a fantasy. Growing up in this town, trapped in the life he'd chosen for himself, his only escape had been the hours he'd locked himself away and studied and wrote. Those precious hours had been what made the rest of his life bearable, had made it easier for him to put his costume back on and pretend he was content with his life.

So this wedding would be the same way. These precious hours he could indulge in his feelings for the woman next to him. She'd never know he wasn't acting. And when it was over, he'd have the memory of those hours to keep him going when he had to go back to keeping her at arm's length. It wasn't an ideal situation, but it was the only option he had.

* * *

Cassandra chatted away, trying to hide her feelings under her usual cheerfulness.

 _How did that kiss not affect him? He seems completely calm and inside I'm quaking._

But she knew better. She'd firmly closed the door on the possibility of anything more than friendship between them long ago. She was lucky he was even considering a real friendship with her at this point. He'd had his trust shattered and he barely trusted anyone.

All she had was today. And this fantasy, a few hours of him pretending he had feelings for her. A few stolen kisses to keep her warm. She could deal with this. Most of her relationships had boiled down to stolen moments and memories that kept her going. And in her memory, she'd pretend that he meant whatever he said or did today, instead of it all just being make believe.

It wasn't an ideal situation, but it was the only option she had.

* * *

"Here we are," Stone said pulling his car up into the makeshift parking lot that had been set up in front of Georgia's house. "Ready?"

She took a deep breath. "As I'll ever be. You?"

"Same. Let's try to have fun. The Stones do know how to throw a shindig so I think we'll have a good time."

She smiled and he got out of the car, remembering to go around to her side to help her out. He offered her his arm, which she was grateful for, the ground was a little uneven and she wasn't used to wearing those shoes.

"Jakey!" A woman's voice called, running forward.

"Georgia," he murmured to Cassandra.

"Hey sis," he said, dropping Cassandra's arm for a huge from his older sister.

"So is this your girl?" Georgia asked with a huge smile.

Jake winked at Cassandra over his sister's head. "Yep, Georgia this is Cassandra Cillian. Cassandra, this is my sister Georgia Williams."

"It's nice to . . . ." Cassandra didn't finish her sentence as she was engulfed in a big hug.

"Welcome, welcome. We're so happy that Jake brought someone home."

"He's told me so much . . . ."

"I've got to scoot though, I have so much to do. So much. But I'll catch y'all later."

"Bye Georgia," Jake said to his sister's back.

"Well, maybe that'll keep happening and I won't have to even talk." Cassandra giggled.

People were milling around a tent set up in the backyard before they went to go take their seats for the actual wedding. Stone introduced her to a couple of people, but his other siblings weren't around. The other girls were in the bridal party, so they were in the house and Joey apparently had been sent to the barn to take care of some last minute work that needed to be done. Cassandra had met Georgia's husband who was trying to just stay out of the way. She decided she rather liked him.

Stone was just about to suggest Cassandra they find seats when a shrill voice that belonged to a woman wearing a dress just a little too tight and just a little too much makeup came across the lawn.

"Jake Stone as I live and breathe!"

And Stone stiffened next to Cassandra.

"Mary Sue Baker."


	3. Chapter 3

Cassandra looked at the approaching woman and then back at her friend who was doing a very good impression of a deer in headlights.

 _Well, you wanted to be Sandra Bullock. So time to act._

While Mary Sue was still out of ear shot, Cassandra threw her arms around a surprised Stone's neck. Then she whispered, "follow my lead." Then she laid a not quite appropriate for public kiss on him.

The part of Stone's brain that wasn't turning into mush suddenly caught up and realized that Cassandra was putting on a show. The rest of his brain decided to enjoy the show and kissed her back with enthusiasm, putting his arms around her waist and pulling her in closer.

 _Oh he is way too good at this kissing,_ Cassandra thought, as a throat clearing behind them brought the little display to an end. _Back to the act._

Cassandra turned in Jacob's arms, to his credit, he kept them firmly around her waist. "Oh, honey, we have company."

He was really impressed with himself for not just staring like a fool and actually getting his voice to work. He did smile at her, figuring that in a relationship, he would be allowed to be a little distracted after a kiss like that. "Oh, darlin' this is Mary Sue Baker. We went to high school together."

He finally looked over at Mary Sue, deciding again that it was still appropriate for a man in love to be more attentive to his date than a girl he went on a handful of dates with twenty years ago.

"Mary Sue, this is my girlfriend Cassandra Cillian."

"Nice to meet you," Cassandra beamed from the circle of Stone's arms, realizing she couldn't really offer her hand to shake in that situation.

Mary Sue gave an audible sniff. "Huh, not really your type is she, Jacob? I remember you had the pick of the girls in this town."

The arms around Cassandra's waist tightened and Cassandra only imagined the look on Jacob's face because Mary Sue stepped back. She knew this defense was rooted in reality, it wasn't the first time he'd done so.

"She's better suited to me than many a girl in this town or anywhere I've ever looked, so watch your step Miz Baker."

Mary Sue held up her hands but her smile was very fake and so was the sweetness in her voice. "Now, now Jake, you know I didn't mean no harm. I'm sure she's very sweet."

Stone removed his arms from Cassandra's waist and took her hand. "She is, now we're gonna go take our seats. You have a nice time, Mary Sue."

He guided Cassandra away while Mary Sue glared at them from afar. She'd long wanted to get her hooks into Jacob Stone, the most eligible bachelor in town. This little piece of fluff city girl wasn't any competition. Not for Mary Sue Baker.

Meanwhile, Cassandra groaned to Stone, "no wonder you were so desperate for a date. And it's probably a good idea you didn't bring Baird."

Stone threw his head back and laughed as the mental image floated across his mind. "She would have ruined my baby sister's wedding backhandin' that girl into next week!"

"Not that I didn't want to myself," Cassandra shuddered. "Being all dismissive of me and looking at you like you were a piece of meat. Ugh."

Inside Jacob suddenly felt a bit of hope, Cassandra seemed almost jealous. But then he dismissed it as quickly as it came. Cassandra did not put up with unfair treatment for herself or anyone else. And she was just upset on his behalf because she was his friend. Nothing more. Still, he was hoping to get in a situation where she'd kiss him like that, just one more time.

His sigh must have been audible because Cassandra suddenly looked at him.

"Sorry, I was just hoping that we made enough of a statement that she'll leave us alone."

"Yeah." And Cassandra was very proud of herself that none of the dejection she felt crept into her voice. Of course, he wouldn't want to kiss her like that again. It was so crossing the line between them.

* * *

The ceremony was lovely. Jessica was a beautiful bride and so in love with her groom Andrew. Cassandra found herself dabbing her eyes with the tissue that Stone handed her out of thin air during a particularly emotional bit. And it was all Stone could do himself not to cry when Jessica spoke of their late mother. And their father seemed mostly sober and behaving himself. So all and all, the wedding itself came out as perfectly as Jessica and her sisters could have wanted.

Cassandra was beginning to hope her dress wasn't getting wrinkled with the amount of crushing hugs she got from Stone's sisters. All he had to do was say the word girlfriend and the girls were hugging her and welcoming her to the family. She hardly had to say anything other than hello really. Part of her envied Stone this family. She knew there were problems of some sort, which he didn't trust her enough to confide in her, and that they probably didn't understand him. But there was so much love here, the younger girls in particular adored their big brother. She knew on a basic level that her family had loved her, but it was never like this.

She'd held her breath as she was introduced to Jacob's father. He looked her up and down and the smallest of smiles (one that reminded her strongly of Jacob's) flitted across his face. Then he nodded.

"Well now, son. This one, this one is a good one."

Stone's gasp was audible next to her. "Thank you, sir. I think she is myself."

"About time you brought one around that was worthy of a Stone." Then he winked at Cassandra and clasped Jacob briefly on the shoulder before the line moved.

"Wow," muttered Stone in her ear. "He's never said that before. Or been that well nice . . . ."

Cassandra actually had to prod him forward as he kept looking back at his father as if trying to solve a difficult puzzle.

* * *

Stone was quiet as dinner got under way. Joey's date Sarah was asking her questions and soon, Cassandra was happily chatting away with Joey, Sarah, Jennifer and her husband Fred. Cassandra was getting along way to well with his family. Way better than he expected Baird would have and part of him was glad that circumstances called for him to ask the redhead. But an unfamiliar feeling was settling in his gut about passing Cassandra off as his girlfriend: guilt. He'd lied to these people for over two decades and even before he'd fully realized his genius he'd hid certain things from them. He'd never felt guilty about it before. Not until Cassandra. Now he felt kinda sick about having to tell sisters that were so happy for him some lie about the relationship ending the next time he came to town.

And then there was his daddy. The first time in years he'd seen his father actually look something like proud of him. All over a woman. Not just any woman, of course, Cassandra, a woman who on the surface seemed perfect for him. The problem was, she was indeed perfect for him. But she wasn't his and could never be. Everything today was a combination of show and Cassandra's own sweet friendly nature and probably her curiosity about the side that he hadn't allowed her to see before.

"Jacob?" Cassandra was calling his name.

"Hmm? Sorry darlin', I was just thinkin'."

"I was wondering if you were going to talk," she said in a light teasing fashion.

"Never mind him, honey," Joey said, "Jake ain't much of a talker."

"That's alright," Cassandra smiled. "I like the quiet ones."

Joey laughed, "Oh I do like ya Cassie."

Inside Stone bristled. Cassie was his nickname for her. No one else used it and to his knowledge no one had ever before. He saw Cassandra steal a glance his way, biting her lip as if not sure to correct his brother or not. He gave her a slight shake of the head, it wasn't worth it and she nodded.

Dinner was soon finished and everyone was heading over to the barn for the dance. Cassandra had offered to help Jacob's sisters clean up and seeing her volunteer, he stayed behind to help move chairs.

"Are you okay?" she whispered to him as he helped her carry some plates back to the house.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just you know, family."

"I still don't get what the problem is with them . . . ." She trailed off at the look on his face. "I'm sorry, I promised not to pry. It's just, Stone, these are good people."

"They're great people Cassie, but just drop it okay?"

She blinked rapidly and he swore at himself.

"Cassandra, look I just, it's Jess' day and I don't wanna deal with those issues. Just wanna enjoy them and celebrate her. Okay?"

She nodded. "I get that. I'll drop it."

In the kitchen, she got separated from Stone who went back out to help the men move the chairs over to the barn. The girls were doing a quick clean up and then preparing the desserts, snacks and drinks that would go out in the barn.

Jennifer and Joyce cornered her.

"So how serious about our brother are you?" Joyce asked.

 _Inner Meg Ryan_ , Cassandra chanted in her mind. "Well, we haven't talked marriage yet, it's only been a few months. But we're exclusive."

"You'll probably need to prod him into the whole marriage thing," Jennifer giggled. "Jakey is a slow mover. Very picky about women."

"Which makes you pretty special," Joyce grinned at her. "He hasn't brought a girlfriend to a family event since, wow, I can't remember."

"He brought Katie to my wedding," Jennifer shrugged, "But they didn't last much past that. And I think he only brought her because I knew her before he did. Oh, sorry Cassandra, no one likes to hear about our boyfriend's exes."

Cassandra smiled. "It's okay, it's not as if I don't have some myself. It's the way it goes. Now what do you need me to do?"

She helped them out and the conversation turned to subjects that weren't her fake relationship with their brother. She really enjoyed the women's company. In fact, she liked all of his family and friends. An only child, she'd often longed for the company of a sibling. And her family was never as warm and loving as this one was.

She felt guilty about the lie. The girls and even Stone's father seemed to have thought their Jacob had finally found the one. It seemed like they'd all worried about his lack of settling down and restlessness. Cassandra knew what caused his restlessness and she had a suspicion that it was the same thing that doomed his relationships. A lack of trust certainly was no way to start off a life together.

 _Exactly Cassandra. He doesn't trust you either. And he actually tried to trust you, which is more than anyone else has ever gotten. And what did you do? This is all you're gonna ever have with Jacob Stone. This day. Nothing more. Ever. So keep that in mind. Eventually Stone will tell his family yet another lie about what happened. And it'll be as easy for him as every other lie._

She sighed to herself and lifted up the tray of cookies she'd been tasked with taking into the barn. It was the last item she needed to take care of, then she was free to enjoy the party. And she planned on it. If she couldn't have anything more than this with Jacob and his family, then she'd make the most of every second.

She didn't notice Jacob's besotted smile as he looked up from the last of the chairs he was setting up in the corner.

And she certainly didn't notice the glare from Mary Sue Baker, who was standing in a corner, having had no luck with anyone at the dance so far. Many of the men were casting admiring glances at the pretty newcomer and had been giving Jacob slaps on the back for his luck. And that angered Mary Sue even more. She would not be upstaged in her hometown by some East Coast city girl transplant.

So she plotted her revenge.


	4. Chapter 4

Stone was trying everything he could to keep his heart from racing. He'd asked Cassandra to dance, which was possibly a bad idea. For appearances sake, they had to dance, so that wasn't it exactly. It was just that she had no idea how to two step and he really wasn't that great at himself. So they ended up generic slow dancing, which meant that her arms were around his neck, his hands were on either side of her waist and they were way too close. But backing up too far would be suspicious except to possibly talk. And really what could he talk about with her pressed that close to him, the smell of her floral perfume and her fruity shampoo in his nose? It was all he could do to keep his heartbeat steady so that he didn't give himself away to her. He'd been trying to look off in the distance instead of at her, but got to thinking that probably wouldn't look right, so he chanced a glance at her face. She had an odd expression on her face and he tried to decipher it for a few moments before deciding just to ask.

"What's wrong?"

"Hmm?" She asked. She'd been so distracted by him, they'd never been this close for so long before. And to be fair, they'd only really been this physically close today, both times they'd kissed. Not for the length of a song, actually she was pretty sure this was the second song in a row, she'd lost track. She'd been too busy trying to keep her heart from pounding so loud that he could hear it. And how to answer this?

"You seem . . .I don't know . . .distracted."

She was distracted. Distracted by his hands touching her hips, by the delicious smell of leather from his vest combined with the woodsy smell of his cologne. Distracted by the memories of his lips on hers. But she couldn't tell him that. So she glanced around the room and came up with a suitable reply.

"I just feel like everyone in the room is watching me. It's a little unnerving. Reminds me of when I was Prince Charming. Only Cassandra doesn't like the attention the way he did."

Jacob chuckled a little. "You're new. You're someone these people haven't seen a hundred times at a hundred different events. That's all, they don't mean no harm."

Cassandra nodded and sighed. "Still though."

Jacob smirked. A thought that Ezekiel Jones might have been proud of drifted through his head. And while he wasn't that proud of it, if it meant tasting her lips again . . . .

"Well, if you kiss me, people will automatically look away." He shrugged as if it was a completely casual statement. "I mean it's an option."

She caught herself before she beamed, she didn't want him to think she really liked the suggestion. She instead sighed. "Well we did practice, seems like we shouldn't waste it. And you're right they will stop staring."

"Okay then, you gotta look up at me here, Cassie. Remember we practiced?"

She let out the lightest of giggles, anyone nearby would have thought they were flirting. Carefully tilted her head toward the hand that he had taken off of her waist to rest on her cheek, she let him guide them into the kiss. No noses bumping this time, just the right amount of pressure, completely gentle and sweet.

And secretly, neither of them wanted it to end.

They broke apart and Jacob noticed one of his sisters rolling her eyes while others were pointedly looking away. Well, that worked anyway.

"Want to take a break from this dancin'?"

"Yes, please."

A little while later, they were talking to a few of Jacob's friends. Cassandra had noticed one of them, Tommy, kept glancing at a pretty brunette on the other side of the room. Then he would look back at her and Jacob, his head tilted as if trying to figure something out. When Stone had gone off to get another beer, Cassandra took advantage and walked closer to Tommy.

"So, what's the story with the girl in the corner?" She asked, her voice low.

Tommy actually blushed, "well ma'am, would you dance with me? I wanna ask you something. And I don't wanna . . . ."

Cassandra smiled kindly at him. "Gotcha, come on then."

He lead her out on the dance floor and when the music started, he explained that the brunette was named Laura and she was a geologist working on his rig.

"And you have a crush on her?" Cassandra asked.

"You might say that. I just . . . she's so outta my league, you know? I never wanted to ask her out."

"But now?"

"Well I see you all smart and pretty, just like her. And you're datin' Ole Stone over there. And I know Jacob was a mite smarter than the rest of us, but only a little. So it gives me hope ya know?"

Cassandra chuckled. Oh, if Tommy only knew. Still though, she saw a bright and lasting spot in this play acting. There wouldn't be a happy ending for her and Stone, but she sure was going to try to bring one about for Tommy and Laura. Especially when she noticed the look on Laura's face when they passed by her. Part wistful, part envious.

"So you're looking for advice?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Cassandra laughed. "You sound like Jacob with all that ma'am business. Though the first time we met he called me little lady. That didn't go over too well."

Cassandra bit her lip suddenly realizing that slightly blew their cover story. But Tommy threw his head back and laughed. "That sounds like Stone alright. You put him straight right quick?"

She smiled, "I did. And let him buy me a drink anyway."

"You're a mighty kind woman."

"Well, he redeemed himself. And you are not out of Laura's league. As far as I see it, there are no leagues in life. Just people who get along or don't. You seem like a really nice guy, Tommy." And she took a deep breath. "And this is what you should do."

While Cassandra was giving Tommy advice on the dance floor, the man she'd come with was gripping his beer bottle so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. He'd just gotten back when he saw Cassandra following Tommy on to the dance floor. They were standing a respectable distance apart at least. But then Cassandra had been laughing at whatever Tommy had said and she was smiling at him. And worse, leaning in every now and again to say something to him. Whatever it was was making his old friend smile like a loon.

 _Damn it_. He closed his eyes. Tommy wouldn't hit on another man's woman. That wasn't how he worked. But that didn't mean that Tommy and Cassandra weren't striking up a friendship. One that could lead somewhere else once this little charade was over. _She is not yours. She is not yours. She's not even interested in you._ He repeated in his mind over and over. And it didn't help the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was losing her and he never even had her.

"You okay?" His brother-in-law Fred was watching him staring at Cassandra and Tommy.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm being stupid."

Fred chuckled. "Ole Tommy ain't gonna steal your girl."

"No, I know." Jacob gave a small laugh at himself. "We're still kinda new, you know? Still in that stupid possessive phase."

"I wouldn't worry, we can see how she looks at you." Fred clapped him on the shoulder. "Song's changin' why don't you cut in?"

Jacob nodded and strode up to the couple. "Can I cut in?"

Tommy grinned. "Of course, bud. Thank you, Cassandra."

"You're welcome," she smiled back. Then he tipped his hat at her and winked and walked off.

"What was all that about?" He asked, pulling her tighter than maybe he should have.

"Oh, he needed some advice. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, just . . ." He sighed and tried to come up with a cover for his jealousy. "You know havin' to make small talk. Ugh."

She shook her head at him. "Says the one who always introduces himself to people on our missions. Hi, how ya doin'? We're the Librarians." She tried to mimic his accent and Jacob buried his face in her shoulder trying to control his laughter.

"Oh, darlin' never do that again."

He really wanted to kiss her. Show Tommy and everyone else that she was his. But she wasn't and he had to really stop letting his imagination get the best of him. She was his co-worker, they were barely friends, not lovers. He had feelings for her, yes, if he was honest he'd had them from the moment he laid eyes on her. But the door was slammed shut and it was too late to ever go back. And he couldn't find a reasonable excuse to give her right now for why he would be kissing her. So instead he left his head buried on her shoulder a few moments longer than he needed to, indulging in the smell of her hair and then pulled away.

* * *

Cassandra was charming, Stone reflected and maybe that's why that cursed book had chosen her to be the prince. She certainly was busy charming the pants off every relative and old friend and acquaintance at this wedding. Even his daddy had taken her for a spin around the dance floor. That was so stunning that he, Joey and their sisters had all stood together and gaped. They hadn't seen their daddy laughing like that since well before their mama had died.

And that made that guilt that was eating at Jacob's insides worse. Maybe he didn't have to tell them that he and Cassandra broke up. He wasn't home that often, maybe he could talk her into coming back for Christmas. She loved the holiday and didn't see her family at all. It would do her good to have an Oklahoman Christmas.

 _Jacob Stone_. His inner voice chided him. _You can't do that. Stop it now._

But when Cassandra leaned into his touch as they stood talking to Jennifer and Jessica, his hand on the small of her back, he started to think maybe he could. Maybe he could. What was that term, fake it until you make it? Maybe if he got her to pretend with him long enough, they could find something real in it.

But while Jacob Stone was having tender thoughts about his friend, Mary Sue Baker was having completely different thoughts.

She was seething. Even Tommy Langston had danced with the girl. And now he was talking to one of the few other newcomers at the dance. Had the whole town gone mad? She'd had enough.

Enough of precious fake Cassandra owning the place. She saw her chance when she saw Cassandra excuse herself from the group, heading toward the punch bowl.

Mary Sue beat Cassandra to the bowl. Cassandra smiled at her pleasantly enough when Mary Sue blocked her path.

"Oh excuse me, I'm just getting some punch." Cassandra said politely.

"Hmm," Mary Sue said, "looks like it's runnin' low."

"Really?" Cassandra sounded a bit disappointed. "I should probably see if Georgia has more."

"You should probably do that sweetheart, since it's about to be completely empty."

And then Mary Sue picked up the punch bowl and tossed the contents on to Cassandra.

It was like slow motion. A couple of other people noticed Mary Sue pick up the bowl but it was too late to stop her. Cassandra let out a shriek as the cold contents landed all over her and her pretty dress.

And the rest of the wedding crowd gasped.

They gasped again as a drenched and humiliated Cassandra turned to Mary Sue and yelled, "you bitch! This is why . . . no one wants to dance with you!"

Stone's face was red. Poor Cassandra, he wanted to toss Mary Sue out on her ear but he wanted to comfort his girl too. Especially since he knew she was angry because she swore, something she only did when she was angry, upset or really startled.

Georgia was right next to him as they ran up to Cassandra. Jennifer on their heels carrying a towel she'd found on a table.

"Get the hell off my property!" Georgia screeched. "And you're never allowed back, ever!"

"You didn't have a chance anyway, you bitch." Jacob seethed, taking the towel from Jennifer and turning to Cassandra. "You okay, honey?"

Cassandra whimpered. "My dress!"

He toweled off her face and shoulders. "Maybe we can save it." He kissed her cheek, wiping the tears off her cheeks with his thumb.

Meanwhile Tommy, Fred and Georgia's husband Allen were escorting Mary Sue and her mother off the property. None too gently in Mary Sue's case.

"I am so sorry, Cassandra," came the voice of the bride. "I sorta had to invite them. I don't know what she was thinkin'."

Cassandra shook her head. "I'm so sorry I ruined your day."

Jessica laughed. "Oh honey, you did no such thing. It's not a Stone party unless someone gets covered in punch!"

Jacob and Cassandra both laughed, her against his shoulder, noting she was getting punch on his vest.

"That'll wipe off. But I think we'll have to soak this dress." Jacob sighed.

"Come on into the house, honey." Jennifer said. "I've been stayin' here for the week, you can borrow a dress, I'm sure you didn't bring anything else."

Jenn led her off back into the house and Georgia turned to her brother to help him get the punch off his vest.

Then she turned to the party goers. "Now, all y'all don't just stand there a gaping. Someone make some more damn punch!"


	5. Chapter 5

Luckily, Cassandra hadn't gotten any punch in her hair so she was able to take a quick shower. And her dress was machine washable so Jennifer went to put in it in the machine to soak. She left a couple of dresses on the bed for Cassandra.

When she returned, Cassandra was trying to zip up the second of the two dresses, a light green sundress with a white leaf print. It had a halter top and fell just past Cassandra's knees. It was a little more form fitting than the styles she typically favored, but the dress matched her shoes better than the yellow one Jennifer had laid out.

"I can't quite reach the zipper," Cassandra laughed.

"I got it," Jennifer said and Cassandra took a breath in so Jennifer could zip her. Jennifer also fixed the halter so it was straight.

"Oh my, Cassandra, you really have a nice figure, you should wear stuff like this more often." Jennifer nodded in approval. "You look better in that then I do. Plus it works so nice with your hair."

Cassandra smiled and thanked her.

Jennifer smiled and said, "well now, let's get back to the party before my brother misses you too much."

Cassandra smirked and wondered if Jacob was even missing her. He'd certainly been so sweet in the aftermath. But then Stone was a kind, good hearted person and she knew he liked her. He'd probably acted that way toward any friend who'd been treated like that. She stifled her sigh and followed Jennifer out the door.

Jennifer was telling Cassandra a story from her childhood that involved the neighbors' pet goat, an ice cream cone and Jacob having to rescue her. Cassandra was laughing so hard at one of Jennifer's descriptions that she totally missed seeing Stone when she came back into the barn.

He very nearly dropped his beer, catching it with his other hand at the last minute as it slipped through his fingers. His jaw certainly dropped. The only other time he'd seen Cassandra in an outfit that hugged her figure quite like that had been Rome. And as much as his brain had refused to let go of the feel of his hands on her bare back, he'd been far too busy, stressed and scared to really appreciate the whole esthetic.

Tonight though, the image of his Cassandra, laughing, her head tossed back, that dress hugging the figure he hadn't quite realized she had, would be burned in his brain forever. And if he never had another night like this with her, he'd always be able to bring this memory up.

She saw him and came over, a smile on her face.

"Glad to see your spirits up," he grinned at her. "I'm real sorry about Mary Sue and draggin' you into this."

"Stop it," she said shaking her head. "No one is to blame but Mary Sue and her bitterness." She shrugged. "Maybe she'll wake up and realize her loneliness is her own doing. And your sister is really nice and funny too. Made me feel much better. How do I look?"

 _Stunning_ , Jacob thought but what he said was, "nice. You look nice."

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Thanks. Have I missed much?"

* * *

The party was winding down. Jessica and Andrew had since left. Cassandra nearly caught the bouquet having at the last second realized she'd been calculating the trajectory of the item and knew exactly where it was going to go, so she moved an inch to let Joey's girlfriend catch it. She was very glad that she chose not to go through with catching the bouquet when a slightly red faced Stone did manage to catch the garter.

The Stone tradition regarding that was simply to have the two share a dance, but Cassandra was glad the heat was off in terms of the implications had she caught the bouquet. After all, she was sure that Jacob's sisters would be planning their wedding immediately.

Stone walked up to Cassandra not to long after Joey and Sarah had said their goodbyes.

"Ready to get going?"

"Yes, but oh, my dress. And I have to find a way to get this dress back to Jennifer."

"Right," Jacob looked around. "Oh uh, hey Georgia?"

"Are you two leavin'? It's late, you're not goin' all the way back to Texas tonight are you?"

Cassandra and Jacob exchanged glances and he cleared his throat. "Course not. We've got a hotel in Tulsa for the night. But we do need to get Cassie's dress. And we can run Jenn back her dress in the mornin' before we leave."

"Jacob Stone, you are not spendin' money on a hotel room when I got this big ole house full of rooms. You and Cassandra are stayin' here. Besides you had more than a couple of beers young man and I'm not havin' you drive all the way to Tulsa and then all the way back here to give Jenn back her dress."

"But . . . ."

"But nothing Jake. And don't you worry, I ain't no prude, you can share a room. Just keep it quiet." She winked at Cassandra who turned red.

Jacob tried again, though he had a feeling he wasn't going to win. There was no way he could explain a way out of this. "It's mighty nice of you sis, but I've got a reservation and I couldn't . . . ."

"Jacob," said in the tone that Jake had never been able to disobey in his life. "You are gonna call and cancel that and stay here."

Stone sighed and told her he and Cassandra needed to discuss it. He pulled Cassandra off to the side.

"What are we gonna do?" she whispered. "We don't have any bags! We didn't think about you know needing a cover story for leaving. The back door . . .we can't let them know about that."

"I know, I know. But we're stuck Cassie, we have to stay here tonight. She won't take no for an answer."

Cassandra nodded, she'd got that impression too. Then her eyes lit up. "The emergency overnight bags!"

"Yes. Maybe I can get Jenkins to move the door closer to the ranch and I can run in and grab them. Yours is still the blue one with the swirly print?"

She nodded. Then louder so that Georgia could hear him, he said, "that's settled then. I'm going to call the hotel," he mouthed Jenkins to Cassandra. "And cancel my reservation. Then I'm going to the car and getting our bags." To sell everything, he reached over and gave Cassandra a quick kiss.

Then he headed out to the farthest corner of the parking area to call Jenkins.

* * *

"The back door is not your designated driver, Mr. Stone," Jenkins said sternly as Stone entered the Annex. "And did you manage to lose Ms. Cillian?"

Stone just barely kept his eyes from rolling. "Cassandra is still back at my sister's ranch. There was an incident with some punch being spilled and her dress . . . . Anyway, we're spendin' the night so I needed to grab overnight bags."

Jenkins chuckled in that oddly knowing way he always had. "Ah, family events they never do change. The bags are in the second closet on the left. I trust you will not be here long?"

"Nope, long enough to grab them. And I need the door . . . ."

Jenkins sighed a sigh of the long suffering. "Back where you were dropped off in the morning?"

"Yes, thank you sir."

Jenkins shook his head muttering about being a designated driver after all and wandered off in search of a snack.

Stone trotted to the closet and quickly grabbed his and Cassandra's bags. He couldn't quite remember what was in his, but he knew he'd have the basics including something to sleep in and a change of clothes for tomorrow.

As he walked into the Annex's main room and started to open the door, a voice behind him brought him to a stop.

"So this date with Cassandra? Got hotter, mate?"

Stone stopped dead and turned around. "How did you know I was anywhere with Cassandra?"

Jones crunched on his apple and then said, "Jenkins told me. Apparently you're doing the whole fake relationship thing at one of your sisters' weddings? How very rom com of you."

 _Wow, what had Cassandra told Jenkins?_

Stone growled. "It's none of your business."

"Hey, if you hurt Cassandra, it's my business." Ezekiel stood up straight though he really wasn't that intimidating to his colleague. Though Stone had never seen Jones look so serious, so he let him finish. "Cassandra is the first friend I've had in a long, long time. And you know how it is around here, if she isn't happy, no one is happy."

Stone's expression softened. "She's my friend too, Jones. Don't worry, she's doin' me a favor. Nothing is going on. There was an accident at the wedding and her dress got messed up. And then my sister talked us into stayin' the night. And I doubt you have sisters but imagine Baird only actually scarier."

Jones' eyes widened. "Mate . . . ."

"Yeah, tell me about it. But everything is fine. We're just friends and nothing more." And Stone couldn't quite hide the sigh as he turned and walked out the door.

But for once, Ezekiel Jones didn't take the bait. He just had a thoughtful look on his face as he watched Stone step into what looked like a tool shed. Then he shut the door behind his co-worker.

 _Stone's got it bad for Cassandra. I wonder how she feels._

* * *

Stone came out of the small bathroom that was attached to the guest room he and Cassandra had been assigned. Cassandra had already had the use of the bathroom and was now sitting cross legged on the bed in a soft pink tee-shirt and plaid shorts. He'd found an old Sooners tee-shirt and a pair of cutoff sweats in his own bag.

He smiled softly at her, "hand me one of those pillows and a blanket and I'll set myself up on the floor."

"Stone . . ."

"It's the gentlemanly thing to do and the carpet looks softer than the bathtub."

"Seriously, we're adults," Cassandra's voice was stern even though inside she was a bundle of nerves. "I think we can share a bed for the night."

He sighed. He didn't actually think he'd be getting much sleep tonight, on the floor or on the bed. Especially not on the bed. But she probably would end up sleeping on the floor herself if he didn't get on the bed. And he wasn't going to let her do that.

"Okay, it's just the night anyway."

He sat down next to her, they made some small talk about the wedding and Stone could tell neither of them were that sleepy. There was no television in the room so he got to thinking about the book he'd seen in his bag. He went to move when his bare leg brushed against hers.

They both froze, this was new contact and very intimate.

"Sorry," he mumbled but made the mistake of looking at her.

Her eyes were dark, there was no mistaking that, he wondered what his own looked like as she stared at him, her lips slightly parted.

 _She wants me_. The thought raced through his brain so fast that one hand clutched the blanket under him. The other was reaching for her cheek. He was going to kiss her before they both came to their senses. At this point, he didn't care if her feelings were real or just the heat of the moment. They both leaned forward, their breaths mingling and his lips just touched hers when a knock came on the door.

They broke apart immediately and Jacob willed his voice to work. "Come in."

"Hey," Georgia was standing in the doorway. "Hope I'm not interruptin'."

"No, not at all," Cassandra hopped off the bed and went to the closet where she hung up Jennifer's dress. "Can you give this back to Jenn?"

"I will, sweetie. And I came up to tell you I ran your dress for a cycle and you'll be happy to know that all the punch came out. I'm hanging it up just to be safe, so you can take it home in the mornin'."

"Oh, thank you so much!" Cassandra beamed. "Great news."

Georgia said goodnight and left them. Cassandra grabbed her phone and a pair of ear buds from her bag.

"I'm just gonna listen to some music for a while."

Alright, so she was going to pretend that never happened. Jacob bit his lip, obviously it had been the heat of the moment for her. If she wasn't going to bring it up, then he couldn't. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable. Things were awkward enough.

"I'm going to read." He said instead.

They laid down on the far sides of the bed, seemingly engrossed in what they were doing. After about an hour or so, Cassandra yawned. Stone put down his book and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Ready to sleep?"

She nodded and he got up to put his book in his bag. Cassandra set her phone in the charger she'd plugged into the wall by the nightstand. Then they both got back into bed and he shut off the lights.

"Night Cassandra."

"Good night, Stone."

But in the darkness both of their minds swirled with the possibilities.

* * *

Cassandra kept thinking over and over about that near kiss. His eyes had been so dark, not the way they'd been when they'd fake kissed all afternoon and evening. Maybe it was the heat of the moment but that unscripted kiss had been real enough. Or at least in terms of attraction. She inwardly sighed. They were only human. They'd been hanging all over each other for hours, it was only natural that lust would start to come into play. They were both adults with what she assumed to be fairly normal appetites. She'd not actually seen Stone with a woman since they met . . .well there was whatever had happened with Mabel and the way that Lamia had looked at him on that plane before she'd attacked him. But an actual date or anyone like that . . . . But he spent most of his very little free time in the Library just like she did. Ezekiel was the only one with any sort of social life besides the odd little dating rituals of Baird and Flynn.

So it was only natural that he might have reacted physically to her after an entire day of having to fake it.

She just wished that it was more than that. Because she'd realized this weekend that the strong feelings she had for Jacob Stone had a name.

She was in love with him.

And she had no idea what to do about it. But tonight in the dark, his quiet breathing on the other side of the bed, made her resolve to talk to him about her feelings when they got back to the Annex in the morning.

And instead of panicking about that decision, she actually felt at peace. So she let herself fall asleep.

Lying there in the dark, Stone wasn't sure he'd get any sleep at all that night. He and Cassandra were lying as far as they could away from each other, although he was pretty sure she'd finally fallen asleep because she flipped on her side and threw her arm out, her fingertips barely brushing his arm.

What was he going to do? This weekend something had changed in the way he felt. Oh, he'd always had feelings for Cassandra and had things been different he would have acted upon them months ago. But three strong reasons: betrayal, co-workers, brain tumor had caused him to put his feelings for her, like he did so many other things, into a box with the lid firmly shut. Until this weekend. Maybe it was how wonderful she'd been about everything, how beautiful she looked in both dresses, the way she'd kissed him. Whatever it was, the feelings had erupted out of their box and now they had a name, a four letter word that was both a blessing and a curse.

He was in love with her.

There still was the betrayal, though if he were honest, he'd forgiven her soon after he'd been so foolish. That was an easy enough fix, an apology and an explanation. Co-workers, well he knew there was something going on between the Guardian and the Head Librarian, so that could be handled as well. The brain tumor, well at this point, he'd rather love her as long as they had then to never have her at all.

The chief problem was Cassandra herself. And Tommy Langston. All night he'd had a sneaking suspicion that had Cassandra been there as his friend and not his date, that Tommy would have made a move. And Cassandra would have let him.

Because Cassandra only saw him as a friend. There was hope though, that near kiss earlier hadn't been scripted. It was attraction pure and simple. So if he could beat Langston to the punch . . . .

Maybe in the morning before everyone else woke, he could ask her out for real. As if she could tell his thoughts, the hand she'd flung out suddenly settled on his arm. He crossed his other arm over his chest and put his hand on hers. She didn't move. And he let himself fall asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

And now for the usual rom com misunderstandings . . . .

* * *

Jacob slept later than he thought because when he rolled over and opened his eyes, the bed was empty. He blinked looking at the clock it was only 9am, but Cassandra didn't seem to be around. The bathroom door was open, her dress hung on the back of the door, her bag was zipped and sitting next to the door.

So she was an earlier riser than he was apparently. He sighed, he'd hoped to get her alone this morning. He was going to have to talk to her in the car then.

Since he wasn't going to be able to talk to her until later, he indulged in a long shower and took his time getting downstairs.

"'Bout time you woke up Jake," his brother in law Allen said, pointing him towards the coffee pot. "Fresh pot of coffee over there. You want bacon with your eggs?"

"Sounds good. Have you seen Cassandra this morning?"

"Oh, she's out in the backyard. Tommy Langston came over about fifteen minutes ago to talk to her."

It was a good thing Stone had put the coffee cup on the counter to pour or it would have hit the floor. As it was, he splashed coffee on his hand and gave out a bit of a yelp.

"You okay over there Jake?"

"Yeah, I just missed the cup a little. Not awake." He grabbed a paper towel and cleaned up the mess and then headed out of the kitchen toward the sliding door in the living room which faced the backyard.

Tommy and Cassandra were talking in the backyard, too far away for him to make out what they were saying or for them to really notice they were being watched. Not they would have noticed anyway, they seemed to only have eyes for each other. Smiling and laughing.

Then Cassandra took a pad of paper and a pen out of her purse and scribbled something on it. Then she threw her arms around Tommy's neck and hugged him.

And for the second time since he'd met her, Jacob Stone's heart shattered.

* * *

"So then I asked her out and she said yes," Tommy beamed. "I cannot thank you enough for everything, Cassandra."

"You're very welcome. The only thing I want in return is for you to tell me how it goes. Hang on, I'll give you my phone number. " She grabbed the little pad and pen she kept in her purse and wrote her number on the slip of paper.

She handed it to him and he promised he'd call or text her. Then they exchanged grins again and Cassandra impulsively hugged him.

"I am so so happy for you."

"Well now . . ." He awkwardly patted her back. "Well, if we're even a bit as happy as you and Stone are, then it's worthwhile."

She smiled back at him, releasing the hug. "I sure hope so."

He tipped his hat to her and then turned and walked out the back gate. She saw Stone standing by the back door and smiled and headed back to the house.

* * *

She smiled warmly at him, but he didn't return the gesture.

"You ready to go?" He asked, his voice a little curt.

Cassandra was taken aback. After everything, she expected him to be like he was last night, charming, not short with her and grumpy. Maybe he was just not really a morning person.

"Did you have breakfast? Maybe we should . . . ."

"Cassandra, I just want to go home. You want to gather your things?"

"Okay . . . ."

Maybe something had happened with one of his family members this morning. She hadn't really been around him to find out. She knew he really didn't want to talk about it when it came to the family. She got her things and Jacob explained that he'd overslept and they really needed to hit the road.

Cassandra warmly hugged everyone goodbye and smiled and said nothing as they were invited to Christmas. Stone on the other hand, was quite obviously to her, going through the motions, though he smiled and hugged all the right people and said all the right things.

* * *

He was quiet on the drive back to Ray's and he could feel the tension in the car. Cassandra had no idea he knew that she'd given Tommy her phone number and was quite obviously interested in him. Probably had even told his old friend that she was actually single. So finally when she ventured a comment, he'd let her believe that something had happened with his family that morning. That was a subject she knew to drop, so she stared out the window.

He let things run through his mind. There were only two things he could do. He could fight for her or he could let her go.

And Stone was a man who'd spent his whole life doing things for others. Putting his hopes and dreams aside to take care of his family. He loved Cassandra. But it was more than obvious that she didn't feel the same way. He couldn't stand in the way of her happiness. He realized now that he loved her that much. Enough to step aside and let her find love with someone else. Tommy Langston was a good man. Maybe not smart enough for someone like Cassandra. But he'd appreciate her and treat her well. She'd be happy. And he'd just have to live without her. He could put her back into her box. He'd done so well so far. Even if it killed him every day.

When they got back to the Annex, all Jacob really wanted to do was go home, drink a fifth of Jack, maybe break something and let her go. But he knew after everything that had happened this weekend, Cassandra deserved at least a thank you.

She spoke first, a smile on her face. "I had a lot of fun this weekend, so thank you."

 _I bet you did_. Jacob thought but he attempted to smile back at her. "I want to thank you for putting up with me and my family. They can be quite a bit and then Mary Sue . . . . Well anyway, thanks for helpin' me out."

Cassandra looked a little nervous. "Jacob, can I talk to you about something?"

 _No, I don't want to hear about you and Tommy Langston._ "Actually Cassandra, can it wait? Unless my clippings book goes off, I just want to go home. Not in the mood to talk anymore."

And before she could object or speak to him again, he was striding out toward the street door. He couldn't look back at her. He was letting the woman he loved go, the only way he knew how.

* * *

Stone spent most of the next two days drunk and Cassandra spent most of the next two days worried. She'd called Stone a couple of times and he never picked up. Nor had he been in at work either.

Baird and Flynn returned on the third day and Baird noticed a change in the air. Stone was back at the Library, though he was even more quiet than usual and seemed to be avoiding Cassandra like the plague. Finally that afternoon, Baird sat down next to Cassandra at the main table in the Annex section.

"What happened while I was gone?"

Cassandra shrugged. "It's been pretty quiet, Ezekiel had a mysterious mission, Jenkins had some experiment that turned the walls in his lab pink."

"With Stone," Baird looked at him. "I'm pretty sure he's hung over. And he seems to be avoiding you. I thought things were better between the two of you?"

Cassandra shook her head. "I don't know what happened." She sighed. "His little sister got married over the weekend and he'd told his oldest sister he was bringing a date." At Baird's glance, she held up a hand. "It's a long story. Anyway, he was going to ask you to pose as his girlfriend but you left with Flynn. So he asked me. And we had a really good time. At least I think we did. But Sunday morning, he was acting very strange. And then he disappeared for two days."

Baird tilted her head, looking at the younger woman. "Well, we all know things are shaky with Stone's family. Maybe something happened that you don't know about?"

She shrugged. "I assume so."

Then her phone vibrated and she smiled at the text.

"Good news?" Baird asked her.

"Yes, it's a text from someone I met this weekend with some very good news." And she smiled and starting typing.

Baird got up to give her space and glanced upwards at the mezzanine. Where Jacob Stone's face had turned stormy the moment Cassandra received the text. But as he noticed her and turned away, Baird realized his expression wasn't anger, it was pain.

* * *

It continued on like this for some weeks. Stone went on more and more solo missions when he used to ask Cassandra for her help. Even usually oblivious Flynn had asked Baird before he'd gone back out into the field what was going on between the two Librarians.

Stone kept to himself in the Library between missions and actually spent less time in the Library than he used to. Baird got the distinct impression that he was coming into the Library hung over quite a bit as well. When he was there, he stayed out of the main area as much as possible. But sometimes Baird would catch him staring at Cassandra, the look on his face full of longing and pain.

Cassandra was sad and lost. As far as Baird could tell she hadn't gone out on a single mission. It was as if her clippings book was sensing her mood. She wandered the Library almost in a stupor, sometimes staring longingly at the stool that Stone used to sit on. Or sometimes she'd catch Cassandra staring at Stone in the stacks, hidden behind some books where he couldn't see her.

The only smile that ever came to Cassandra's face now was when she would get a text from that friend she'd made in Oklahoma. And even now the smile didn't always reach her eyes, though Baird often saw Stone react to the texts as if he was being punched in the gut.

Something had to stop but Baird wasn't sure what was going on. Until one afternoon when Ezekiel cornered her.

"Baird? Can we talk about Stone and Cassandra?"

"Yes, please. Come on, let's go get some coffee and away from Anger and Sadness."

* * *

They were at the coffee shop. Baird had plain black coffee and Jones had wasted time, in her opinion, ordering one of his "stump the barista" concoctions.

Baird took a deep breath, like planning a mission. "So what do we know?"

Jones smirked but then got serious. "Well, we know that Stone and Cassandra went to his sister's wedding. And ever since then Cassandra walks around like she's lost and Stone looks like hell."

Baird nodded. "She's not going on cases and I'm pretty sure he's drinking when he's not working. Doesn't his dad have a drinking problem?" At Jones' nod, she looked worried. "Do you think we need to worry about him?"

Jones shrugged, "Not sure, but I think the benders are related to Cassandra." Jones looked thoughtful.

"What is it Jones?"

"The night of the wedding, Stone showed up back at the Annex, getting the emergency overnight bags. I was getting on his case about his hot date, but he wasn't biting which made it no fun. Then I told him he better not hurt Cassandra." Jones took a sip of his coffee and made a face. "This is rubbish."

"You had them make it, can you get back to the point?"

"Anyway, Stone kept saying they were just friends."

"Okay, so what?"

"He seemed really upset about that fact. It was pretty obvious that it wasn't just friends on his side."

"So do you think he made a move on Cassandra and she rejected him and he's upset?"

"But would she act like she lost her best friend? She doesn't seem to know why he's avoiding her."

Baird looked thoughtful. "Cassandra is sweet and naive. Maybe she doesn't realize he made a move? I mean we're talking Stone here, he can be very subtle. He's more emotional than I gave him credit for originally, takes things personally when you don't get his artsy way of speaking."

Jones nodded. "That could have happened. But then there are those texts she keeps getting from Oklahoma . . . ."

"Yes! And I've seen him looking like he's been punched in the gut whenever he sees her get one."

"So gonna guess this mate is a guy?"

"I'd assume so."

"So he's jealous and thinks she rejected him. But she doesn't know she rejected him and we don't know the status of her and this friend?"

"That seems to be where we stand, yes. So how do we approach them? I don't care if they date or not. I just need the anger and the sadness to stop. It's bad for morale and Cassandra isn't working. And Stone . . . ."

"We don't want the drink to take over," Jones said, showing rare signs of compassion. "Do you want to take him or her?"

"I better take him, we get along better than you and him."


	7. Chapter 7

Baird found that Stone had left the Library by the time she and Jones had discussed their plan of attack. There was a bar not too far from the Annex that they sometimes went to after a mission. She found him sitting at a back table, a bottle and a glass in front of him.

She set her own glass next to his and sat down next to him.

"Go away Baird, I'm not on the clock."

"Anyone tell you that you look like shit?"

Four days of growth on his face, rumpled clothes, hair a mess, Stone just chuckled bitterly and took a sip. "Who cares? Now would you leave me alone?"

"Not until you tell me what the hell is up with you."

Stone looked down at the glass, maybe how much he'd had loosened his tongue. "I made a mistake. I know better but I let her in. And she won't GO AWAY."

"She won't go away?"

"I need to let her go . . . need to let her go. But I keep holdin' on. And she doesn't . . .she doesn't love me."

"Cassandra?"

Stone shot her a look that could kill, but Baird was not afraid of him. He said nothing in response though.

"Why do you think she doesn't love you?"

His laugh was bitter. "She loves someone else. I was too late."

"If this girl you love is the one I think she is, she doesn't show any signs of seeing someone else. I don't know if you've noticed but she pretty much just walks around like a ghost these days."

Stone scoffed. "Until she gets one of her precious texts or phone calls from her man. Look Baird, just leave me alone."

"Stone . . . ."

He just glared at her and Baird sighed. Then she got up.

"You aren't going to forget her in the bottom of that bottle. Believe me, I know."

He looked up at her blurry eyed but said nothing.

Baird's expression was kind, "Jacob, I think you're misunderstanding something with Cassandra. I don't think she loves anyone but possibly you. . . ."

He was drunk already so the tears came to his eyes before he could stop them.

"Can I at least take you home? Drinking is just going to make your pain worse. And maybe think about just talking to the girl?"

Stone sighed, but he pushed back on the chair. "Why do you care?"

"I'd give you some song and dance about work morale. But the truth is, I care about you and Cassandra." Baird bit her lip. "You especially, you're like the younger brother I didn't have. And you're hurting and I can't stand to see that."

"Should've took you to that wedding."

"Ha," Baird said, giving him a hand up. "They'd never believe we were in love."

"True that. You're such a pain in my ass." But the arm he'd slung over Baird's shoulder tightened just briefly, letting her know more than words could how much what she said meant to him.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ezekiel forced Cassandra to go out to dinner with him. She was quiet and picked at her food.

"Haven't seen much of you lately," Ezekiel said casually.

"My clippings book has been silent," Cassandra shrugged. "It's weird. Like no one wants me around . . . ."

"That's not true."

Cassandra sadly shuffled the food around on her plate again.

"What about that person who keeps sending you texts?"

"Oh? Tommy?"

"Tommy huh?" Ezekiel's eyes lit up and he leaned over the table. "Do you a boyfriend?"

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Hardly. I've been helping him out."

"How so?"

"Well, Stone and I," she smiled softly when she said his name. "made up a cover story that I was a geologist working on his rig. Tommy's an old friend of Stone's and he had a thing for Laura, the actual geologist on his rig. He approached me since he thought that since I was dating 'just an oil rigger' too, I might have some advice. " Cassandra shrugged. "I jumped at the chance to play match maker."

"So he's just getting advice from you?"

"And keeping me informed how it's going. And now Laura texts me too. They're really doing well and we've become good friends. They keep asking me to come back to visit, a double date, of course." And Cassandra's happy mood burst once more. "I haven't had the heart to tell them that will never happen."

"Because you and Stone were just faking."

"And now Stone won't even talk to me," Cassandra's tone was so dejected that Ezekiel actually felt the urge to hug her. "I mean, I knew . . . but I figured we'd at least be actual friends after that weekend."

"You knew what?"

Cassandra's eyes filled with tears and she stared down at her plate. "I knew he doesn't feel the same way about me that I do about him. But it was so lovely pretending. And I thought we had a good time. But I did something to offend him."

Ezekiel shook his head. "So you haven't noticed?"

"Noticed what?"

"That Stone looks like shit? That he wanders around the Library like a lost soul, a lot like you? When he's not drunk?"

"He's been getting drunk? But his daddy . . . ."

Ezekiel shook his head. "The man is IN LOVE WITH YOU. But he probably thinks you're dating this Tommy."

"Why would he?" Then Cassandra thought about that Sunday morning and Stone's face when she turned around. What giving Tommy her number and the hug must have looked like from the doorway. "Oh God."

"I was going to tell him, Ezekiel. Sunday when we came back. I was going to tell him how I felt. But he walked out on me. Because he thought I'd chosen Tommy. Oh that stupid, stupid man."

"You need to talk to him. Make him see."

"You think he'll listen to me?"

"Only one way to find out."

"I'll think about it. Thank you Ezekiel."

* * *

The next day, however, Cassandra's clippings book, as if sensing her change in mood, sent her a case. She took Ezekiel with her.

The day after that, after a long day of sobering up and soul searching, Stone came back to the Library. He'd shaved, showered, took care in his clothing. But found the place empty save for Jenkins.

"Where is everyone?"

"Ah Mr. Stone, you've returned from the dead."

Stone rolled his eyes and looked at Jenkins.

"Ah yes. Ms. Cillian and Mr. Jones are off on a case. They seem to think they will be back by evening, they left yesterday. Mr. Carsen summoned Colonel Baird." By the expression on his face, Stone could tell that Jenkins was under the impression that Flynn hadn't called Baird for a rescue.

"Huh, well I guess I'm going to get back into the Impressionists. . . Jenkins?"

"If Ms. Cillian comes back early, I'll summon you."

"Yeah, thanks."

Cassandra hadn't returned by the time Stone's stomach started rumbling. He looked at his watch in shock, it was already 5pm. It was like old times, losing himself in the portfolios. Maybe the weight on his heart was starting to ease. He hadn't gotten over Cassandra, but last night he'd resolved to fight for her. The fact that Baird had mentioned that Cassandra hadn't gone to Oklahoma gave him hope. If she and Tommy were still only phone pals meant he had a fighting chance. He was done rolling over.

He put the book back and decided to go home and actually cook something.

* * *

Not long after he'd finished eating, his phone rang. Georgia was on the other end.

"Hey sis, what's up?"

"Just checkin' in with you. Hopin' you and Cassandra can drop by some weekend."

"Oh."

"What's wrong? You didn't mess things up with that sweet girl did you?"

Jacob sighed. Maybe once in his life, he was going to have to tell the truth to someone in his family.

"She was never my girlfriend."

"What?"

"When you told me you were sittin' me with Mary Sue Baker, I panicked and pretended I had a girlfriend. Cassandra . . ." well part of this was still easier keeping the lie going. "Cassandra is the geologist on my rig, but she's just a friend. I wasn't seeing anyone, so I asked her if she'd go along with the plan. She's so sweet that she did me the favor."

Georgia clicked her tongue and Jacob was quite certain she was itching to hit him upside the head. "I cannot believe you Jacob Stone."

"Well, you saw Mary Sue, it was a good call."

"That is not what I'm talkin' about. She's just a friend? Do you think I am blind Jacob? I saw how you looked at her. And how she looked at you."

Jacob's voice was soft. "Maybe so but she's interested in someone else."

"Please, back on your rig?"

"No, in Oklahoma. Tommy." He blurted out.

"Tommy Langston? Jacob Stone, I do not know where you get your crazy ideas from! He's been seeing Laura from his rig for weeks now. They're over the moon happy and tellin' everyone that Cassandra gets the credit. You are an idiot. An idiot! Why did you think she was interested in him?"

"Well . . . she. . . they were dancing and she gave him her number and oh my God, she just wanted to know how it went?"

"I don't even know you any more Jacob. You used to be the smart one in the family. You didn't even try talkin' to the girl?"

"No," he said meekly.

"And you're head over heels in love with her? I just plain give up. If you don't have that straightened out by the end of the week, so help me little brother I am drivin' down to Texas to knock some sense into you!"

"I'm going to talk to her, I promise."

"Good." And then Georgia hung up on him.

He stared at his phone in wonder and then noticed a text from Jones, from almost 40 minutes before. He and Cassandra were back and Cassandra went home.

Stone didn't even think, he just grabbed his keys and flew out the door.

* * *

Cassandra hadn't been home very long. Just long enough to take a quick shower and change into comfy clothes. A pair of shorts with cartoon cats and blue tank top. She was padding barefoot across her living room heading to the kitchen when her doorbell rang. And before she could get to the door, whoever it was started knocking.

"Geez, I'm coming, what is . . . Stone?"

He looked out of breath like he'd run all the way to her apartment. "What is wrong? Is the world ending?"

"No! No, it's not work. I need to . . .can I come in?"

"Yes, sure." She was still confused but she stepped out of the way and let him in.

She closed the door behind him and they stood there staring at each other. In Cassandra's eyes, Jacob could see concern and fear, mixed with an emotion he was pretty sure he now understood and it was directed solely at him. Cassandra wasn't quite sure what to make of the emotions crossing across Stone's face, but by the darkening of his eyes, she was pretty sure one was desire and the other, the other sent a shiver down her spine.

"What's . . ." but before she could finish her question, he'd stepped forward, cupping her face in his hands. He only hesitated a half moment before his lips were over hers.

She was a little startled but she quickly sank into the kiss, parting her lips and bringing one hand up to rest at the base of his neck, the other hand sitting lightly on his shoulder. He dropped one of his hands to rest on her hip, pulling them closer together. This kiss was real, not that the other ones had actually been fake. But this time, they both knew there was nothing pretend about it.

When they finally broke for air, Cassandra panted out, "what was that? Not that I . . . ."

Jacob pushed the hair back from her face and said, "because I'm an idiot. Because I didn't see what was in front of me, just believed what I wanted to believe. And mostly because I love you."

She couldn't help it, she beamed and started laughing. He looked a little surprised by her reaction, but she was smiling, so that seemed good.

"Oh, you stupid man, I love you too."

He smiled back at her, his eyes crinkling with joy. They stood there, still holding each other, just smiling at each other. Then she leaned up and kissed him again. She was quite certain she'd never been kissed in pure joy before, she thought her heart would burst from it and she knew the feeling was mutual. He broke away from the kiss when it was obvious they were both laughing from delight.

He pulled her into a hug and spun her around once. When they'd both stopped laughing again, he kissed her forehead.

"God, I love you. And I'm so sorry . . . ."

"Shh," Cassandra put her finger over his lips. "Not now. We'll talk later. Right now . . ." She leaned up and kissed him again, this time passionately. It was like the kiss she'd given him when she was showing off to Mary Sue. Only this time there was no audience and they were both fully aware of the feelings involved.

Kissing lead to touching and soon Cassandra was working the buttons on Stone's shirt. He'd pulled her tank top halfway up when he realized suddenly that she wasn't wearing anything under it. He pulled back, eyes full of questions.

She nodded, then said softly, "I want you to make love to me."

"Do we . . .are you?" He blushed, he hadn't expected anything like this to happen tonight and hadn't come prepared.

"I have some in the bedroom, don't ask." And Cassandra rolled her eyes slightly and he knew exactly who had given them to her. But at this moment, he was thanking Ezekiel Jones and his weird sense of humor. "That is, if you . . . ."

"Oh hell yes," he said, suddenly lifting her up. "Lead on my lady."

She giggled, "second door from the left."

They attempted to kiss down the hallway but that ended in laughter, so she just settled for kissing his neck until they got to her bed.

He laid her down gently and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too."

Then on that bed, they gave everything they had to each other: heart, body and soul.

* * *

Quite some time later, they were laying in each other's arms, finally getting around to talking it out.

"So you actually thought me and Tommy?"

He kissed her forehead. "I saw you dancing with him and I got so jealous. But then that whole thing with Mary Sue happened and then you nearly kissed me in the bedroom . . . ."

"That was totally real by the way," Cassandra said. "Not that I didn't mostly mean all the other kisses too."

"Same," Jacob smiled. "I kept coming up with excuses why you should kiss me."

"I thought so! Anyway, what made you think?"

"I fell asleep that night realizing that I was in love with you. I thought I still had a chance with you, so I was going to talk to you in the morning before anyone else was up. But you were gone when I woke up so I took my time getting ready thinking I could talk to you when we got back to the Annex. But then Allen told me Tommy was over. And when I went to find you, I saw you give him your number and hug him. I thought he'd asked you out. And then you were getting all those texts and calls from him . . . ."

She shook her head. "Tommy was telling me he'd asked Laura out. And I was so pleased with my match making skills that I hugged him. If you'd actually looked, you'd have seen that he was awkward about it. And I gave him my number to keep me posted! And these days most of those texts and calls are actually from Laura. She and I have become good friends."

"Cassie, I am so sorry, so sorry, I'm such a fool."

"Shh," she said. "I won't let you talk like that. I was very vague on what Tommy wanted because I didn't think it was important to us. I should have just told you about my match making. I just didn't realize. So I'm a fool too."

"Cassandra . . . ."

She kissed him gently. "That night I'd realized I was in love with you too. I planned on telling you when we got back to the Annex. But you were so cold and you walked out on me."

"I thought you were going to tell me that you were with Langston. And I couldn't . . .I kept telling myself that I loved you enough to let you go. But I've spent weeks drunk, Cassie. And I couldn't let you go. And if I'd only had let you talk, I could have spared myself the heartache."

"I should have made you listen to me. I knew something was wrong. Instead of confronting you, I just wandered around lost in my own heartbreak. And everyone was so worried about both of us, your drinking, my sadness. Baird especially but even Ezekiel. But I wasn't brave enough to confront you." She sighed. "We should have just talked Jacob. We could have spared ourselves all these weeks of misery."

"Well from here on out, we need to make a promise to make sure we tell each other how we feel. No matter what. No more misunderstandings, no more confusion. Deal?"

Cassandra held out her hand, "deal."

He shook her hand and they both grinned. "So," Stone said, "what happens now?"

"Well," Cassandra smirked at him. "Instead of being miserable we could have spent all of these weeks together. Don't you think we should make up for lost time?"

"I reckon so," he moved in close, his lips just inches from hers. "And I think we should start right about here." Then he kissed her.

The End


End file.
